My Apprentice
by HanSoloIsSoCute
Summary: Luke takes on his first padawan, Cascade, and does his very best to teach her all he can. He stresses an amazing amount to make sure she follows all the rules, but breaks the most important one himself.
1. Chapter 1

'My Apprentice'

Jasmine Larson

**Title**: My Apprentice  
**Author**: Jasmine Larson  
**Genre**: Romance, humor, maybe a little angst  
**Rating**: PG  
**Time Frame**: A year after ROTJ

**Summary**: Luke takes on his first padawan, Cascade, and does his very best to teach her all he can. He stresses an amazing amount to make sure she follows all the rules, but breaks the most important one himself.

(I slap the normal big fat disclaimer on this little number)

Luke Skywalker watched on in silence as his padawan concentrated hard on the beam of her lightsaber, channeling the power of the Force to avoid the blows of the hurling rocks. He slowed the speed of the flying debris, realizing he was making it a little too difficult. He wanted her to be a strong Jedi, like Yoda and Obi-Wan. He feared for her future, clouded with the Dark Side it was, unsure and twisted the path before her lay.

It had been near a month ago he had met her, in that scrabble with the bounty hunter on Naboo. She had a price on her head and was about to meet her end. He had come to her rescue, and taken her as his padawan. As he spun the rocks around her lithe form, he allowed his mind to travel back to that day...

Luke helped the young girl up and brushed her off, thankful she was not hurt too badly. He sat her down on a nearby bench and wondered what he had done with that medicine kit. She had gone down during the struggle with the older man, and hadn't risen until Luke had been forced to cut him down. He snapped his lightsaber back in place and looked her over. She was still a little dazed, he noted she seemed to have no combat skills whatsoever. Either that, or she wasn't even trying.

From the look of her, he guessed her age to be younger than his own, perhaps about the age he was when he left home, and he couldn't help noticing what a nice figure she had. Her long and extremely curled black hair had bright streaks of light blue in it, as was the latest fashion on Naboo, and fell to the back of her knees. She wore a tight, black body suit, with knee-high boots that matched the streaks in her hair. She seemed a mystery, even standing right next to her he could not touch her with the Force. Her eyes were the most intriguing thing about her, how light and blue, almost crystal. They would shift from one emotion to another in a few second, whereas it would take most humans an hour to change so immensely. She could seem a different person at times. Suddenly he realized he had been staring and shifted his eyes.

"Who are you?" the girl asked, staring back.  
Luke cleared his throat and began to check her wounds, making sure nothing was vitally important, and noting he was going to have to put her in a healing trance. "I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you." he smiled, realizing how much that line reminded him of something...inside joke.  
"Rescue me? What for?" she asked, watching as his skilled hands moved over her arm, thankful he was not the type to take liberties.  
"You needed help, and you still do." Luke winked and pointed to a large cut on her arm. The girl grimaced at the sight and smell of her own blood and quickly adverted her eyes. Luke smiled up at her from tending to her wound.  
"Well, I told you my name. What's yours?" he asked, looking back down at arm.  
"Cascade. Cascade Mistra. I usually make everyone call me by my full name, but you can call me Cas, or Cassy. Courtesy of saving my life." she smiled, watching as he quickly ripped off some of his shirt and tied it around her arm.  
"Cas. That's pretty." Luke said, wondering just how long she had been on her own.  
"Ten years." she said. Luke started and looked back up at her quickly. She grinned. "You were wondering how long I had been on my own, everyone does. Don't worry, I'm no mind-reader." she said, still amused at how surprised he had looked. "I take it you're a Jedi." she said as he finished tying her wound.  
"Yup." Luke answered simply.  
"I always wanted to be one...I guess I just never the patience." she sighed, looking slightly enviously at his lightsaber.  
Luke stopped and considered. Maybe it was about time he took on a padawan, he had been a Master for a while now, it just would be natural to begin training. He grinned at. "I've never had a padawan, how would you like to give it a try?" he asked her.  
It was Cas's turn to start. "ME! But, but, aren't I too old?" she asked him, unbelieving.  
"Hey, I was about your age when I began my training." Luke replied, taking both her hands and helping her up. "It will be a challenge for you, one that I'm sure will bring good results."  
Cas seemed to consider for a moment, then a shadow of worry darkened her face. "But, how will I pay you? I don't have anything."  
Luke chuckled a little. "Cas, you don't have to _pay_ your Master, all I ask of you is that you do what I say, and obey me. And you will be a Jedi, I promise."

Luke's mind floated back to the present as he became suddenly aware of his surroundings. It was becoming slightly dusk, and Cas was almost finished with her lesson. Sometimes he regreted having decided to train her on Dagobah, it was so slimy here. But, there was something magical about this place...something that somehow managed to be the perfect training atmosphere. He waved for Cas to stop and approached her.  
"That's enough for tonight, let's go in, I'm getting cold." he shivered.  
Cas's beautiful laugh ran out and echoed among the trees. "You? Jedi Master Luke? Cold?" she teased, but none the less followed him back to their hut. It was a little chilly out, and she offered no argument as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and enveloped her in his cloak. She would never understand what it was about this planet, it was so dank and musty, slimy and muddy. Why train HERE! She had given up trying to get that out of him, he could be so secretive sometimes.

She sighed with relief when they entered the small hut, thankful for the already built fire. The hut was much like Yoda's, only the roof was much higher up. Luke's arm left her shoulder as he walked over to hang his cloak up in it's usual place. Luke was a wonderful Master, he had a powerful intellect, amazing skills, a wonderful singing voice...and sadly he thought he was a cook. She quickly made her way to the kitchen before he got the notion to whip up another 'master piece'.

"Oh, that's ok Cas, I'll make dinner." Luke said from the living area.  
"Oh, no you won't." Cas said firmly, lighting a small fire on the stove and setting some water to boil. "No more 'Skywalker delights'."  
"Hey, I thought it was pretty good." Luke insisted, leaning on the doorframe of the kitchen.  
"That's because YOU made it, you think everything you cook is good." Cas rolled her eyes.  
"Right." Luke said matter-of-factly.

Cas flipped her hair out of her eyes and caught a glimpse of him. Lately she was so ashamed at finding her Master handsome, but it was so hard not to notice those wonderful eyes, that soft, calm voice, that light singing voice, the witty sense of humor, the sandy blonde hair...the nice ass. She mentally kicked herself and hoped he hadn't been screening her thoughts at that moment. She busied herself with cooking and tried to pretend he wasn't standing there, just watching her.  
She tried to make herself think he was testing her temper, seeing just how long she would let him just stare at her and say nothing. Must be some Jedi training, tolerance test. Or maybe he was just being a pain.

Luke yawned a stretched, revealing well-toned muscles. "Well, I think I'll let you cook for tonight, I'm beat." he said, returning to the living area to sit in front of the fire and ponder whatever it was Jedi pondered about. She shrugged and went back to chopping this and that, stirring here and there, anything to keep her mind off him and on her training.

After dinner Cas bid Luke goodnight and went to her side of the hut to retire. Luke smiled at her retreating form and looked back at the crackling and diminishing fire. She was a good padawan, and learning well. There was something about her, something different. He had met many women in his travels, and had stayed away from attachment, such a thing was forbidden to the Jedi.

To tell the truth, he had never been drawn to a woman, excluding Leia. He had thought he was in love with her, but his hopes were shattered when he discovered the truth. But that was a long time ago. Luke told himself, shifting to a more comfortable position in his chair.  
He felt differently for Cas, it was as though he was drawn to her like he was to none other.  
He had some very close friends that he cared very much, Han, Leia, Chewie, even Ben...but none of them did he feel for like he did her. He didn't know what it was, maybe it was a protective reflex, maybe all Master's felt this way for their apprentices', perhaps it was natural. He did feel protective of her, he didn't want her to turn, he wanted her to become a Jedi, and a strong one.

But he worried more than he thought he should about her, he feared somehow she would get hurt, and he couldn't bear the thought of her ever being it pain. Why was it so important that she be safe? Why did he have nightmares of her suffering? Time would tell. Luke sighed and got up from his chair. It was time he got to bed, tomorrow was another day, another day with Cas.

End Of Chapter One


	2. Chapter 2

Luke approached Cas's room and lightly tapped on her door. When she did not answer he opened it just ajar. She was still asleep, sound asleep. He smiled and walked over to her window. In one swift motion, he yanked down the blinds and light flooded into the room. Cas blinked at the sudden glare and growled something obscene at Luke.  
Luke grinned at her charmingly. "Good morning."  
"Good morning my ass!" Cas snapped and quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, realizing her mistake all too late.  
Luke tried for a moment to look stern but failed miserably. "It's getting late. There isn't much time when there is light on this planet. C'mon UP."  
Cas grumbled something not-nice-at-all in his direction and rolled over. "My mother wouldn't like that." Luke said in response to her insult. "Now, come ON." Luke walked over to her bed and folded his arms. He stood for a moment and tapped his foot. "Cas, I am counting to ten."  
Cas looked up at him in shock. "You can count!" she let out an insane laugh and ducked back under her covers. Luke counted to ten VERY loudly. Then he let out a sigh and ripped off her blanket. She shivered a little but remained still. Luke took off her slippers. She cursed but just curled up in a ball.  
Luke grinned. "Cas, if you don't get up, the rest is coming off."  
"Ha ha." Cas snorted. "Jedi don't do that."  
Luke shrugged. "Most don't, I do." He edged closer to her and grinned evilly. "I'll make breakfast." he threatened.  
Cas shot out of bed and was dressed in a matter of moments. She growled as she tied her garments firmly in place and threw her cover back on her bed. Luke had politely turned his back during her changing and now turned back around to give her a mocking grin.  
"Don't give me that." she snapped, tying her final robe on. "It's not MY fault you're a rotten cook"  
"I am a good cook and you know it." Luke smiled, exiting her room.  
Cas cursed at no one in particular and gathered her things for training.

About an hour later...

Cas sat crouched on the ground, watching Luke's back from behind the brushes. Sometimes she got so mad at him she wanted to really attack him and beat him up good, but she was not allowed to hurt him. She must simply surprise him. She was to sneak up on him without his knowing, and steal a small piece of cloth from his robe. She could then face him with it, to prove she could sneak about in hispresence without his knowing. Then she would be ready for the next challenge. Cas was mere inches from him now, she could hear him lightly whistling. Her hand shot into her robes, and retrieved a small vibro blade. She reached out to cut the small piece of cloth and-  
Luke spun with amazing speed and caught her hand effortlessly. He grinned at her and handed her back her knife. Cas grumbled and tucked it away, sliding off the small cliff of slim she had perched herself on to stand beside him.  
"You could hear me huh?" she asked, frowning at the ground.  
Luke smirked. "Only, a lot. You need to slow your footsteps, there's no hurry. I'm going to be standing here the whole time, pondering about whatever us Jedi ponder about."

Cas looked up at him and grinned, so he HAD been screening. Hopefully he hadn't caught that thing about...  
"Oh, and thanks for compliment about my rear end. I've been working on that." he said in his funny little way.

Cas slapped her forehead and let out asmall chuckle. "_OK_, you got me. Now, let's get back to work ok? Go ponder."  
Luke smiled and rested his hand on her shoulder for a fleeting moment and was gone. _Man, how does he DO that?_ she wondered to herself, scoring the land for him. He was nowhere in sight. She sighed and set about her search.

It wasn't long until she found him. He had a habit of whistling and singing wherever he went. She strained her ears and soon came the soft sound of...

_"I look at you,  
And I see who you are,  
You seem so distant,  
But I know you're not that far..."_

Aha. There it was, that silly little song he always sang. She had never figured it out, was it a love song? A sad song? A song about a lost friend? She never knew, she had never heard the whole thing. She followed the sound, slowing her footsteps as she had been told. She thought she caught a glimpse of sandy blonde hair in the distince, but it was only a fleeting bird. She sighed. The sound was gone now, she hadn't heard it in a while, maybe she was moving away from it.

_"I need you more than life,  
You left too soon,  
Now all I do,  
Is stare at the moon..."_

Yes! There it was! She quickly, and as quietly as she could, changed directions and followed the sound of his husky voice, getting closer and closer as she went.

_"I look up at the sky, And I wonder why,  
You think you don't need me,  
You're fine on your own,  
But I don't wanna be alone..."_

She could see him now, he was sitting on a rock near a cave, singing his strange song. Oh, that voice! Sometimes it disturbed her concentration so she began daydreaming! She was very close now, almost too close. _Surely he must sense me by **now**._ She thought in bewilderment. But he seemed to be far away, somewhere she could not go. She thought about reaching out with the Force to tap into his thoughts, but surely he would sense her then. She dropped back into her crouch position and took out her blade. Her hand edged out of the brush again---and slit just the smallest amount of cloth from his cloak. She wanted to squeal with joy and jump up and down, but she remained calm. She did, of course, allow herself a small smirk.  
She eased out of the brush, still surprised he had not caught her yet. She decided to do something a little silly, just for the fun of it. She tucked the blade away, so as not to harm him, and tackled him. Luke yelped in surprise as she jumped on him, knocking him off his seat. He lay flat on his back and gasped. Her laugh rang out as she dangled the small cloth in his face, triumphent.Luke smiled up at her and took it from her.

"Well, I'm impressed. But, attackers _USUALLY_ don't jump on their prey and laugh." he teased, handing it back to her.  
She grinned and tucked it away as her trophy. Suddenly she realized she was still on top of him. She blushed a bright crimson and got up in a hurry.

Luke stood as well and brushed himself off. "I must say, you've got quite a good grip." he said and rubbed his shoulders.  
Cas looked away, trying to hide her crimson face. "What now?"  
"Ah, something different." Luke said, a strange and evil glint in his eyes.

"What?" Cas asked, suspicious.  
Luke grinned at her and pulled her to stand beside him. "Look, over there." he wrapped an arm around her and steered her in the direction he pointed to.

"It's a cave." she said, slightly confused. She had been expected a monster, a vision, or something else, not a cave.  
"Yes, it is. But, it's not like other caves'." Luke said, pushing her slightly forward. "Want me to go with you?" he asked, knowing he hadn't liked going in by himself one bit.  
"No." she said firmly, she would do it on her own.  
Luke sensed in her tone that there was no room for argument, and stepped back. As his arm left her shoulder, suddenly she became very cold. Something lurked in that cave, something evil. She looked back at Luke with worried eyes, wondering if he had ever been in there.

He nodded at her lightsaber. "Take it with you, you will need it." Cas gulped and unhooked her lightsaber from her belt, holding it ready. She dropped her jacket near the opening, not wanting it to get in the way in case she got into a tangle. Slowly, she crept into the cave. It was not as dark as she would have thought, an eery, light green glow bathed the strange place. The moment she entered, she felt as if she were walking in a dream. Nothing seemed real, she felt as though she were under water, unable to move as fast as she thought was needed. She ran through her calming exercises and slowed her breathing.

_"I look up at the sky, And I wonder why,  
You think you don't need me,  
You're fine on your own,  
But I don't wanna be alone..."_

The music floated to her ears, as quiet as death but as loud as thunder.  
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a dark form appeared in front of her. It had no face,no distinct species. It wore a long, black cloak, all significance hidden from the naked humaneye. She snapped her icy blue lightsaber on, ready for whatever would happen. The creature did not move, did not speak. She couldn't feel it, sense it, hear it, or even smell it. The Force was dead in this place. The Force was the enemy it seemed, working against her. It moved foward, but not to attack her. It lay an icy cold hand on her shoulder, and finally it's face was visible. _Luke._ He looked sad, and worried, as though he feared for her. _Still, it could be a trick._ She thought, and held her lightsaber ready.  
"Cas..." the creature spoke.  
She stared at it, not believing it could have said that. "Wh-what did you say?" she asked it, not sure it would answer.  
Then the transparent Luke's hand left her shoulder, reaching into it's robes for something-  
Before it tried anything, she brought her lightsaber beam up and through. She sliced through him easliy, the other end of her blade appearing on the other side of his back. His face showed intense pain, sorrow, but not for himself.

"Cas...don't do this." it begged, once again putting his hand to rest at her shoulder.  
She ignored it, it was now quite obviously a trick. She yanked her lightsaber out of him and watched as he fell to the ground. His hand came out of his robes, holding something. She knelt down to examine it. It was a small crystal on a chain, with her name on it. She scoffed and turned off her lightsaber. It must have been a Dark Side tempting, some creature pretending to be Luke to lure her to the unknown, she was not falling for that.  
"Cas..." the being breathed it's last and disappeared. Cas looked at where it had lay, wondering just what it had meant, what it had been.

Outside, Luke softly sang his strange little song...

End Of Chapter Two


	3. Chapter 3

  
'My Apprentice'  
by Jasmine Larson 

Cas emerged from the cave to find Luke's back facing her, but she felt that he knew she was there. "Hey." she said quietly.

Luke turned around and folded his arms. "What happened?"  
Cas shrugged. "Nothing"  
"Something." Luke insisted.

Cas looked away and hooked her borrowed lightsaber to her belt. "Did you have to tell your Master?"  
"Yes." Luke fibbed.  
Cas looked up and grinned at him, sensing his dishonesty. "Well, that would have worked if you hadn't taught me how to read minds yet." She teased him. Then she thought of something, maybe, it hadn't been... "Were you singing?" she asked him, hair falling in her eyes.

Luke grinned sheepishly. "Yeah." he admitted. Cas smiled, so, it was him. It wasn't the creature, therefore it was a trick. She had to admit, she was worried it really was him at first, she had never heard anyone else sing that song. She picked up the jacket she had discarded earlier and shrugged it on.

"So, what now?" she asked him, noting that it was soon going to be dark. She had been in that cave longer than she had thought.  
Luke smiled. "A test, of endurance."  
Cas looked at him skeptically. What did he mean? "What do you mean?" she asked.  
Luke unfolded his arms and walked to stand beside her, gaze unshifting. Her eyes met his, maybe this was the test, just how long she could stand him staring her before she screamed.  
"Cas, how long can you run?" he asked her, looking her up and down.  
"From you? For hours." she retorted.  
Luke smiled that handsome smile down at her. "And, why do you think you should have to run from me?" he asked her, edging closer.  
"Because you, you, frighten me." She snapped, taking a step back.  
"Ah, and why is that?" he challenged, taking a step forward.  
"I don't know. You just do."

Just as suddenly as he had begun advancing towards her, he turned around. "Well, I'm sorry about that." he said in his ever-calm, sad voice. He looked over his shoulder at her and grinned.

"Now, to the test. An accomplished Jedi can run for miles, and never become tired, something that took me years to achieve."  
She frowned at him. There was no way, run for miles? Well, that was one thing, but to never get tired? That was another. She was getting tired of _this_, she had little patience for these little games and riddles.

Luke smiled at her, having been reading her thoughts. "I know, seems impossible, doesn't it? But, a Jedi's most powerful ally is patience, something you must gain. And endurance is one step forward, now, let's go."

With that he grabbed her by the arm and set off. He ran in step with her for near a mile, and then let her go. They went for perhaps three more, and she began to grow too tired to move.

"Cas! Go through your calming exercises, relax, _breathe_." Luke shouted to her. She obeyed, and felt much better. She was able to go for a few more miles, and finally collapsed on the soft moss.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Luke asked her, slowly sitting down beside her. She looked at him, and to her surprise, he had not even broken a sweat.  
"I-I- guess." She panted.  
Luke smiled and sat behind her. He began to massage her shoulders and send comforting thoughts to her. She closed her eyes and caught her second wind. When she opened them, she realized it was totally dark now.

"Oh no! Luke, how are we ever going to find our way home?" she asked him, sudden worry clouding her eyes. Luke smiled and stood her up, again wrapping an arm around her shoulders, a gesture that had become more and more common, she didn't even think about it anymore.

"No need." he teased, pointing to their hut, which was only a few feet from where they were standing. Cas let out a small giggle. She took one step forward and fainted. Luke chuckled, perhaps he had taken her too far. He bent down and scooped her up in his arms, walking towards the hut. He couldn't help noticing how right she felt in his arms, so small and fragile. He remembered the first time he had carried her, and that had been when he first met her...

"Really, um, Luke, this isn't necessary." Cas complained as he picked her up and began walking back to his ship.

"Mad' am, I have just met you already I know you are a girl of strong will. You can't walk, you took quite a beating." Luke explained as he wrapped one of her arms securely around his neck. "It will only be a short walk back to my ship, then I promise to put you down."

Luke smiled, remembering. As he recalled, that hadn't been enough to convince her, he had had to talk her into not simply kicking him in the jaw and bolting. He chuckled a little, sometimes she could be so stubborn, that may get her into trouble someday. They were now at the cabin, and Luke contemplated how he was going to open the door. He sighed and swung her over his shoulder rag-doll style, reaching into his pocket for the key. If she awoke right now, she would be pissed, he realized. He quickly unlocked the door and walked in, lying her down on the couch before setting about building a fire.

Soon the fire was crackling merrily as Luke cooked in the kitchen. He loved cooking, even though he had no idea what he was doing. He looked at the instructions on the box of mac-n-cheese. _Hmmm, boil water._ Luke dug out a pot and put some water in it. _Now...how do I get it to boil?_ He zapped it with Force-lighting and smirked when it boiled. _Aha, I'm good at this, now what? Ok...dump in pasta._ He picked up the box and dumped the contents in. He also dumped in the cheese packet. He quickly fished around in the madly boiling pot to retrieve the soaked paper envelope. He sighed and set it on the counter. _Ok... stir...with what?_ He clambered around until he found a large walking stick. _Perfect._ He snapped it in two over his knee and stirred the rapidly growing soggy, mixture. _Ok...strain. All right, that's easy._

He picked up the pot and dumped the contents in the sink, and had to quickly scoop them back up into the pot before they went down the drain. It was still a little watery, but hey, nobody's perfect. _Ok, all right, butter._ He picked up a carton of butter and dumped it all in. _Hmmm...maybe that's not enough...oh well._ He stirred it some more with his splintering walking stick and felt quite proud of himself. Cas was going to be so happy, she would think he was a wonderful Master. And a fine cook, too.

He finished melting the butter and looked at his soupy glop with pride. Everything was going perfect, must be his lucky night, usually something **bad** happened. _Ok ok, cheese. Well,I ruined that...mustard's yellow. Yeah yeah! Good idea._ He flattered himself, getting the mustard out. _Ok, they say just a smidgen. How much is that? The size of a small pigeon?_ He shrugged and dumped the whole bottle in. He stirred in some more with the stick, and dumped about half a jug of milk in. _Perfect, wonderful!_ He would call this little number...Skywalker Surprise. He dumped the yellow goo into two bowls and poured some water. He set up a small table in front of the fire and laid their places. He skuttled over to Cas and shook her awake.

"Gawaaah, what is it?" she grumbled, her vison clearing to see a beaming Luke standing over her.  
"Dinner time." he chirped.  
She bolted up right and scanned his thoughts to confirm he wasn't joking. He wasn't. "Oh, no thanks Luke, I'll just um, well..."

"Eat eat eat!" Luke snapped, helping her up and seating her at the table. She sighed and took a teeny tiny bite. Her face screwed up in a grimace she forced into a smile. "Mmmmm. Mm, good."

"I'm glad you like it, the mustard was a little old." he said happily, chowing down obliviously.  
Cas nearly lost her breakfast. MUSTARD? She offered Luke a tight small and gulped down some water. She frowned, what _WOOD_ she tasted? _Where would he get a notion like THAT?_

"So, what's this called?"  
Luke finished chewing. "Skywalker Surprise." he said happily.

"So, what's the surprise? Bantha poop?"

Luke chuckled. "No, silly. We don't HAVE any Banthas'."

Cas rolled her eyes. Suddenly she spotted a small creature crouching near the door, some sort of dog. She called to it quietly, luring it in. It came to rest by her feet and looked up at her. She quickly set the bowl of 'Surprise' down beside it and tried to act nonchaclant. It sniffed it, and took a small bite. It looked shocked for a moment and looked up at her, as if she had poisioned it. It's eyes widened and it yelped in surprise, and ran for it's life. She chuckled a little, although she felt sorry for it.

"What was that noise?" Luke asked, looking around.  
"Oh, I have hiccups." Cas fibbed. "I, I really need to get to bed. Goodnight." without another word she turned and ran to her room, hoping he hadn't caught her resounding thought of, _YUCK_.  
Luke smiled in her direction, she must have had a hard day. Then he noticed her bowl on the floor, still full. Piff, disrespect. Oh well. He got up from the table and piled the dishes in the sink, mentally planning the next days training.

End Of Chapter Three


	4. Chapter 4

Luke was ashamed, he seemed to be too overly interested in his padawan. He kept telling himself it was just over-protectiveness, but something argued otherwise. He leaned on the doorframe to her bedroom, and felt a little guilty. It wasn't really right for him to watch her sleep, it was invading her privacy because she did not know he was there. But he couldn't help it, he couldn't bear to wake her. He loved to watch her lay there, eyes closed as her chest rose a fell in perfect rhythm.

She rolled slightly and some of her blanket slipped off her shoulder, revealing the creamy skin of her back. Luke felt most embarrassed, standing there staring at her bare back and sleeping form like some teenage boy with a crush. He was quickly to her side and pulling the blanket up to wrap it snugly around her shoulders. He stood back and sighed. Perhaps he should wake her. No, she was exhausted, it had been her first endurance test. Luke's mind traveled back to the morning after his first endurance test...

Luke awoke with a start at the feeling of his head being tapped sharply with Yoda's cane. He choked down a groan and looked around. He was still sleeping on Yoda's floor, curled in a ball, it got quite cold in the night here. Yoda was standing over him, an amused look on his face.  
"Sleeping, padawan was?" he asked in his merry little sing-song voice.  
Luke sighed. "It's two am, what do you think I was doing?"

"Getting ready to wake up, you should have been, now, to my breakfast. Would very much like another 'Skywalker Delight', I would. But this time the slugs, leave out." Yoda instructed.

This time Luke did groan. "Aw, I ran for 10 miles without stopping, my legs are killing me, I'm tired."

"Legs! Piff! Tired! Piff! Dwell on these things, a Jedi does not." Yoda snapped, honoring Luke with another bump on the head from his cane.

Luke smiled, it sure was nice to not have to sleep on the floor anymore. Maybe he could get some sleep while he waited for her to wake up...just a few minutes. Luke turned around and went to his room, which was right across from Cas's. He closed the door and lay down on his cot. I'll just close my eyes for a few minutes...

Luke awoke suddenly to the sound of distinct giggling. He opened his eyes to see a very pleased looking Cas standing over him. He groaned and rolled over.

"Oh, up!" she teased, tugging at his blanket.  
"Mrrrhhgafu..." Luke mumbled, pulling his blanket tighter.  
"Fine, you asked for it." Cas said, and ripped off his blanket.  
"FINE!" Luke yelled, suddenly very cold. He grabbed his robe and quickly wrapped it around him.  
Cas smiled and folded her arms, waiting for him to stop shivering and start lecturing. "Well, what do I have to go through today?" she asked, still slightly amused.  
"Well, today we're not going into the swamp, personally, I think it's too cold." Luke hated the cold. Well, heck, he's got a reason doesn't he? ;)

"Where are we going?" She asked, watching as he fitfully tightened his robe.  
"Coruscant." he siad, rubbing his hand together.  
"Coruscant!" she yelled in disbelief.  
"Yeah, get packed." Luke said simply.

Luke got up to leave the room. He turned at the door way and looked at Cas, and did something he never did before. He kissed her. It was just a small peck on the cheek, but Cas was almost overwhelmed with the amount of warm feelings that washed over her in that fleeting moment. It seemed to last forever, but was over in a heartbeat. She suddenly felt cold, as compared to the warmth she felt while his lips were against her cheek, when he drew away. He smiled at her and was gone. Cas stared at the empty room. Why Coruscant?

"Why Coruscant!" she asked Luke from the back of his X-wing.  
"I think we need a break." Luke said over his shoulder, "I wanted to get out of that swamp for a while."

Luke couldn't fool Cas, she knew him too well by now, he had another motive. He wasn't just going to Coruscant for the air or chilly fried hotdogs, there was some other reason. But, she was not going to get it out of him now, he would most likely let her know once they got there. She sighed and got as comfortable as she was going to get in the back of his X-wing. Why in Hoth-frost couldn't he have gotten a bigger ship! She settled back, and realized they were in for a long trip. She shifted in the tight compartment, and was imediatly bored. She stared at Luke's blonde head and absently probed his thoughts...

_I think about you,  
I wish you were here,  
I don't know what to do,  
When you're not near..._

Hey! It was a new verse to that strange song! She had written down all the others, but she hadn't heard this yet! She probed further...

_I see your face,  
It won't go away, I haven't been to this place,  
Where I think about you everyday..._

_No! No! All wrong! Let's see..._

Well! I'll be! thought Cas, He's writing this song! Making it up off the top of his head! I never knew he could write... she listened some more as Luke fumbled over the lyrics in his mind, deciding against some and composing others. She noticed he took out a small pad and pencil every now and then to jot something down.  
She shook her head in amazement and settled back in her seat for the long trip. . .

They landed on Coruscant not three hours from her discovery, bringing the long and silent trip to a sudden and relieving end. Luke sighed and opened the hatch, clumsily climbing out. He stood on the roof of his small craft and leaned down to help Cas out. She clambered over the top of his pilot seat and took both Luke's hands. When she was about halfway out Luke changed positions, wrapping his arms around her waist and effortlessly lifting her out . Cas looked up at him, into those beautiful eyes of his, she had never seen such eyes...

"Where to?" Luke asked her and smiled.  
Embarrassed, Cas quickly gathered her composure and freed herself from the circle of his arms. "You tell ME, this is your little adventure." she teased. Luke smiled and jumped off the X-wing, turning around and holding out his arms to help her down. Cas cocked her head and grinned at him.  
"Hey, I'm no petite little doll, yo don't have to help me with anything." she stated. And with that, she flipped over his head, did a few spins and twirls, and landed feet behind him.  
Luke shrugged. "Just being a gentleman." he said and grinned.

Luke and Cas walked side-by-side into the city, watching as the small tapcafes and shops appeared. Luke breathed in and smiled Cas. "Wanna get a drink?" he asked her, pointing to a near tapcafe.  
Cas shrugged. "Sure."  
They entered the cafe, and were immediately immersed in the strong and welcoming smells of foreign foods and drinks, with the sound of jizz music in the background. Luke and Cas sat down on stools and Luke waved for the robot waiter. The annoying, chirpy creature can spinning up to them and asked her in loud voice,  
"What can I get for ya' honey?"  
Honey? They were programming these droids differently lately. "Uh...what do you want Cas?" Luke asked her.  
"Alderaan ale, straight up." she said and leaned on the counter.  
Luke gave a shaky grin. "Ah, me too."  
"You got in babe." the droid chirped. She paused before speeding away and slapped him on the butt. "Nice buns." she commented and was gone.

Luke shook his head. Man, they sure were programming them differently. Cas, in the meantime, though she had coughed down he share of giggles at the droid's comment, was watching someone else in the cafe. A young man, a pretty girl who appreared to be his girlfriend, a fretful droid, and an annoyed wookiee.

"I really don't think this is safe." the droid fretted, "I mean, we could be kidnaped, or even killed! Or worse! And I think that sever was flirting with me."  
"Oh shutup, tin-can." the young man snapped at the droid from behind his newspaper.

At the sound of the man's voice Luke spun around on and fell off his stool. He quickly leapt up and a broad grin broke out on his face. "HAN!" Luke shouted, rushing over to embrace the older man, newspaper and all.

"Gee, nice to see you Luke, but you crumpled this add for a laser-silencer." Han teased, ruffled Luke's hair. Luke wasted no time in hugging everyone else at the table. "LEIA! CHEWIE! Threepio!" Luke got pinched by Threepio's metal parts in the act of hugging him, but Luke didn't care.  
"Oh, I am most pleased to see you as well, Master Luke!" Threepio said, "But, you are getting tangled in my cords, please disengage yourself."

Luke smiled and was swept up in a huge wookiee hug, his feet danglingthree feet above the ground. "Hi Chewie." Luke smiled and looked up at the happy wookiee. When Chew ie put him down he went back to huggging Han and Leia. "I'm so happy to see you guys!" he shouted.

Leia smiled. "Yeah, us too, but Han takes enough liberties on his own, do you have to press us together?" Liea teased Luke over his shoulder.  
Luke released them and dragged Cas over to the group."Everyone, I want you to meet Cascade Mistra." He stated proudly. Han gave Cas an admiring look and slapped Luke on the back.

"You done good kid." he whispered in Luke's ear.  
Luke's eyes widened. "Wait! She's NOT my---"  
"Don't worry Luke, she's all your's." Han smirked and gave him another slap on the back. Luke gave up.  
Cas smiled. "It's nice to meet you all." Cas seemed a little shy, and slunk back to stand behind Luke.  
Luke wrapped an arm around Han's shoulders. "So what are you guys doing here?" Luke asked him. Han smiled and shrugged.

"What do you think we're doing here? We're buying a turkey." Han said. Luke gave him a funny look and Han chuckled. "NO. Actually, we're just here for the fun of it, I wanted to listen to Threepio whine." Han gave the droid an agravated glare.

"Oh! Sir, I KNEW you took delight in my freakish misery!" Threepio exclaimed merrily.  
"Yup, you're a freak all right." Han sneered.  
"Well! I never. . ." Threepio snapped and went back to flirting with the metal waiter. "So, do you come here often?"

Han rolled his eyes at the droid turned back to Luke. "So, what are YOU doing here, with your, friend?" He asked and raised an eyebrow in Cas's direction.  
Luke gave an oh-cut-that-out look and wrapped an arm around Leia. "Running into you, it looks like."  
Han pulled Leia away from Luke. "Hey, flirt with your own girl." He teased.  
Luke laughed and turned back to Cas. "Well, we didn't get our drinks yet, shall we?" he asked, offering her his arm. Cas took his arm and they walked back to the counter.

"Why didn't you tell him why we're here?" she whispered in Luke's ear. "I didn't want him spreading the news, you see, I'm looking for a Sith." Luke whispered back.  
"WHAT!" Cas shouted.  
Luke clamped his hand over her mouth and gave her an annoyed look. "See what I mean."  
Cas realized her mistake and giggled against his hand. Luke rolled his eyes and dropped his han. He pulled her closer and whispered. "We've got to find them, I don't know where they are, but they're here." He siad, indicating the planet. Cas shifted uncomfortably, not used to being so close to him.

"Em, how do you know?" she asked him.  
Luke winked. "Jedi's know these things. "

End Of Chapter Four


	5. Chapter 5

WARNING: Ok readers, I think this chapter needs a warning, this isn't really for little kids. There is a hot and heavy make-out scene later in this chapter, and I wouldn't advise anyone under 13 to admit themselves. Don't worry, it's nothing really bad.

Luke had finally discovered why it was he could not sense Cas in the Force when he had first encountered her. She was so reserved, so inexperienced in the Force, no one at first could sense her. She kept such a tight hold on her feelings and emotions, he still hadn't figured out how to communicate with her through the Force. But now that he was beginning to know her, he could feel her presence and hear her thoughts, if he concentrated hard enough to move a building. She most certainty was a mystery, but the clues were coming together, he would just have to be patient. He smiled as he watched her walk in step with him, head down and hands in her pockets. They were still looking for a place to stay, and it was cold out. Luke wrapped his arm around her, and waited for her to pull away. She sighed, as though giving in to the cold, and leaned against him as they walked. Presently they came to a run-down hotel, with a blinking red light that read 'Inn, Take It Or Leave It'. Cas and Luke smiled and sighed, it wasn't like they had much of any other choice. Luke held the rickety door open for Cas, and hoped the rooms were in better condition than the outdoors. They entered the small lobby and took in their surroundings. The room was indeed small, but and not too cozy. It had a worn out throw rug spread out in front of the dying fireplace, a few paintings, an ashtray, and a counter where an old, and quite overweight, woman with a fuzzy shock of red hair was filing her long, clawlike, bright orange nails and singing 'My Blue Heaven' off-key and loudly. Luke rang the bell, mainly just to get her to shut up.

She looked up and glowered. "Aw, did you have to interrupt? I was just getting my grove thang on." she said simply and went back to filing.

Luke sighed. "We would like two rooms, please."

The old woman didn't look up. "We have two rooms."

"We'll take them." Luke answered and began to fumble around in his robes.

"Ok." the old hag sighed and took out two room keys. "Who wants the roof?"

Luke stop fumbling and looked up. Oh, great. "One of them doesn't have a roof?" he asked.

"Oh, don't worry, one of them has carpet." she answered and drummed her orange claws on the counter. "That makes up for it."

Luke rolled his eyes."Do they have bathrooms?"

"The one without carpet does, it also has a cooking unit that works on rainy days."

It would have to do. "Well ok, we'll take that, does it have two beds?"

"It has a couch and a rug, TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT." The wrinkled evil doer snapped, seeming to be becoming quite annoyed.

Luke sighed again. Oh well, Cas could have the couch and he would sleep on the rug, it was better than Yoda's dirt floor. "_Fine._ That will do. How much?"

"Six hundred credits."

Luke's eyes threatened to pop out. "Six hundred credits!"

She rolled her blue glop covered eyes. "Five hundred and ninety-nine."

Luke was trying to not get mad. "A _buck_! You went down a _BUCK_?"

"Fine it's back up to six hundred." her red, gloppy, lips curled into a smirk.

Luke closed his eyes and went through his calming exercises."My final offer, one hundred credits. I doubt you will get_that_ from anyone else."

"Ha!" the old woman scoffed, "The great Lord Palpatine_himself_ used to stay here!"

"I can see why. But, if you don't like that price, it only goes down." Cas spoke for the first time.

"No! Two hundred. Take it or---"

"We know! We know! Take it or leave it! Fine, we'll take it." Luke said, handing over the credits.

The credits disappeared in the woman's hand and she tossed the key to Luke, who caught it effortlessly. Cas and Luke went up the narrow flight of stairs and put their key into the door that had carpet sticking out from under it. The door buzzed open and fell off the hinges. Luke sighed and propped it back up, holding it out of the way so Cas could walk past him. Cas wordlessly began to wash her hair in the small sink near the cooking unit with some cleanser she had brought along. Luke managed to fix the door and turned around to take in their predicament.

He grinned at Cas. "I'm guessing we don't have a mini-bar?"

"Nope, but look on the bright side, we got a mini-room." Cas joked as she flipped her wet hair over her shoulder.

Luke chuckled slightly and tossed their luggage on the couch, gladly noting that there were two blankets. "Well, I guess I could cook." Luke said happily.

"You_can't_ cook." Cas informed him.

"Oh I can too! Remember last night? I made mac-n-cheese." Luke said proudly.

Cas chuckled softly. "That wasn't mac-n-cheese, that was mac-n-disease."

Luke rolled his eyes and let the comment pass, knowing good and well he was the galaxy's greatest cook. Cas rummaged for a towel and hummed 'My Blue Heaven' softly as she dried her hair. Luke looked at her over his shoulder and smiled.

"You are doing a_much_better job at that." he teased.

Cas giggled and began to run her fingers through her hair, missing the brush she had lost in the swamps terribly. Luke sighed and sat down on the couch, bending down to tug at his left boot. For some reason, it refused to come off. He tugged, pulled and yanked but still it did not budge. Suddenly he realized Cas was standing over him, watching with amusement.

"Don't worry, I've got it." Luke grumbled.

"You sure?" Cas questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes I'm sure." Luke grunted, pulling harder on the evil boot.

Cas sighed and picked up her bag, unzipping it and rummaging around for something. "How exactly DID you know where the Sith was?" she asked Luke, trying not to be annoyed with his struggle with his shoe."I felt them, it's hard not to." Luke grunted, giving his boot another yank. "I'll teach you how to sense the Dark side."

Cas sat on the only chair in the room and watched as Luke battled with his troublesome shoe. She watched for maybe 20 minutes, and kept thinking to herself, he'll get it, jut give him time. He'll get it. Any minute now. Finally she could take it no longer and jumped up, throwing her hands in the air. "Luke I can't stand it anymore! Gimme your foot!" she snapped.

Luke looked up at her sheepishly and held out his foot. Cas sat back down and put his foot on her lap, looking it over to see just what the problem was. She gripped it firmly, and yanked hard. The shoe came off, but so did Luke, right off the couch. Luke tumbled into Cas, letting out a startled yelp, knocking her out of the chair and sending them both sprawling. Luke landed on top of Cas, sending the shoe flying off somewhere. Cas gasped and blinked, looking up into Luke's face, which was only inches from her own. She put a hand over her mouth and giggled. "I'm sorry."

Luke rolled his eyes. "It's ok. I've had worse falls, you ok?"

Cas nodded. "I'm fine."

Luke sighed and leaned his head on her shoulder. "Man, what are we doing here? I'm sorry, Cas, I've messed up so much. Maybe the Sith isn't even here, it's like, something out of a dream or..." Luke trailed off helplessly.

Cas wrapped her arms around him and ran her hand through his hair, soothing him. "It's ok, I haven't seen you make a mistake before, this is new." she teased, nuzzling his neck against her better judgment. Sudden, hot sparks flew through Luke's body, at just the feather-light touch of her breath against his neck. He buried his face in her damp hair, inhaling it's sweet scent and forgetting for a moment that he was years older than her, not to mention her mentor. Luke lifted his head and looked into her eyes, realizing all to late what he had started. Cas looked up at him, eyes glazed with sudden passion, desire. Luke felt the same desire, and was beginning to have trouble controlling it. Luke lowered his head closer to her's. Their lips were so close now that their breaths were mingling, arousing new sensations that almost scared them both. Luke's breaths were coming in short, hurried gasps, not different at all from Cas's. It dawned on Luke at that moment that there was still one thing he was afraid of, girls. Cas ran her hand past his hair and down to the nape of his neck, pulling him down so that his lips just barely grazed her's. It hit Luke too late that he didn't know_how_ to kiss. He had _been_ kissed before, but all he had to do then was sit there and hold still, this was different. But, Luke didn't have much time to worry about that. Cas lifted her head to capture his lips with her's, making his head throb and his blood run hot. Cas pulled him down further, twining her arms around his neck. Luke's body responded quickly to her's, and it didn't take him long to figure out what was happening. He settled on top of her and got more comfortable, allowing his hands to roam her body, but taking no improper liberties, which slightly disappointed Cas. Timidly, Luke lightly touched his tongue to her lips. Soft lips parted under his immediately, inviting him. Luke slid his tongue inside her mouth, his head still spinning. Cas's tongue met his in an instant, spurring him on. Her tongue pushed past his, exploring his mouth. Luke wrapped his arms around her back, relishing at the feel of her small form in his arms. Cas arched her back and moaned under his mouth, making Luke wonder if he was going to be able to stop in time. Luke's lips left her mouth, traveling down to her neck. Luke ran soft little kisses down her long, slender throat, earning little sighs and kisses from Cas.

Cas drove her hands into his hair, yanking him closer to her. Luke flicked his tongue up the base of her neck, feeling the vibration of her moan envelope him. And finally Luke lived his dream. He ran his hands through that thick, long hair of her's, glorying at it's smell and feel. He pulled it over her shoulder, running his hands and lips over the length of it. And then, at that moment, Cas let down her defenses, she let Luke inside her mind. He could feel her presence with no trouble, her thoughts were as open to him as a common storm trooper. Finally, she trusted him, she didn't hold tight to her every emotion. Luke sent her loving and caressing thoughts, certain now that she could hear them.

"Cas..." he whispered her name in her ear over and over again.

A small shiver went up her back. The way he had said that...She soon pushed her worries out of her mind when Luke's lips found that spot on her neck. She dug her nails into his shoulders and gasped. "Oh...Luke..." she moaned.

With a suddenness that surprised him, Cas rolled over and flipped him on his back, bending down to plant a world-shaking kiss on his open lips, wasting no time in thrusting her tongue inside. Cas undid the buttons on his shirt, running her hands over the exposed skin. Luke groaned low in his throat and placed his hands on her thighs, knowing he had to stop this now, somehow, before it got too far.

Just at that moment, thank God, the door flew open, falling off it's hinges once again, revealing the snotty desk-clerk. She let out an amused laugh and choked it back down.

"I wanted to tell you that the stove does not work, and don't step on this board, it'll break and you'll find yourself in the garbage disposal. And the toilet only flushes sometimes, have a nice night." she said and was gone.

Cas and Luke looked at each other, the moment ruined. Luke felt dirty, ashamed and guilty. There he had been, happily taking advantage of this young, innocent girl, who was his student for crying out loud. Cas just felt disappointed and embarrassed. He must have stopped because she did something wrong. She looked down and saw that she still had her hands in his shirt, and she was straddling him. She clumsily jumped off him, her face burning.

Luke got up just as quickly, running a shaky hand through his hair. He looked up at Cas, and quicky looked away.

Cas knew her face must be as red as a Tatooine sunburn, and she felt very stupid. "Luke, I'm sorry I--"

Luke held up a hand to cut her off and walked over to the sink. He splashed his face with cold water and sighed. "It's ok, but next time, I'll take off my own boots."

Cas nodded and spun around quickly, her hair hitting her face and sticking to the tears she didn't even know were there.

End Of Chapter Five


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